I am a big guy, 6'3" 260 and I am having trouble surfing after I toss the rope. I have a Phase 5 oogle and it just seems to not be doing the trick. My brother has the same problem @ 235lbs. Our wake is plenty big, 24ssv 2500 lbs ballast and usually 8 or more people. what would be another board to buy that may be better for a bigger guy? ~Thanks

I think the Inland Surfer Red Tide would be a good choice. We generally use the IS Blue or Yellow Loogey, but I tried a friends Red Tide and loved it. I ended up buying one and it works great for heavier folks. It also works well for my daughter (she's only 100 lbs and the RT is very stable) and me (185 lbs).

I finally found that article. It isn't Cobra at all. According to the article, the Flexlite company is based in Vietnam, which is the sandwich tech used in the Placebo. I may be interpreting it wrong, but I think Placebo is manufactured overseas. The article I was thinking about is here

all i can say is my bros in Florida,North carolina and Texas who help glass my shapes actually live off that $200 generated from keeping it proudly in the USA

Doug Haut,Stretch and Johnny Rice have been my personal favorites my whole life.The fact Stretch has entered the realm of wakesurf manufacturing should tell us all the best is yet to come

i dont sweat the competition from the plastic toys coming from china at $141 a stixx just sayin two wrongs dont make a right instantly outsourcing wakesurfing to china is a biotch slap in the face to the sport those of you who are doing it are only devaluing the worth of it

You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to my opinion, and I disagree. That's one of the great things about America! The other is that we have a lot of choices as consumers. Some can't afford to pay the money for a hand manufactured board, but they still want to enjoy the sport. Their best option is to purchase a "plastic toy". That doesn't devalue anything. It actually increases the value. If more people get into the sport, there is a higher likelihood that in the future, they would save up and purchase one of the boards you mentioned. If they never buy the "plastic toy", it's likely they never get into the sport, in which case, they would never purchase a "US board".

I'm tired of Americans reprimanding others for purchasing products manufactured outside of the US. I'm already supporting America by paying taxes, investing in US companies, and purchasing MANY things produced in the US (because they are the best quality for the lowest price). Should I feel bad if I purchase a product made outside of the US? No way. The reason why many things are more expensive in the US is due to Americans getting paid far too much. There are unsilled trade workers earning as much as $80/hr (I won't mention which). Most have just a high school diploma! I'm not saying that's wrong. If they are able to negotiate that rate, good for them! But I shouldn't be expected to purchase that product blindly just because it is produced in the US. The demand for that product should drop due to competition, and that company would be forced to lower wages to compete. That makes for a fair economy.

I buy the best product that I can afford. If that product is made outside the US, so be it. If I find out that a product is being produced using unsafe/unfair conditions, I won't purchase it. If the cost between a US produced product and one made outside is the same, I'll buy the US one. But to buy items blindly just because they are made in the US doesn't make sense to me. Just because they are produced here doesn't mean they are the best choice for me. I look at price, quality, and for larger ticket items, company history & practices, etc.

Some may label me un-American. I think I am ALL American. I'm an informed consumer looking for the best products at the lowest price.

Let me put it this way: If we all strictly purchased items manufactured in the US, what happens to all of the US workers that import items from other countries? Why shouldn't they be supported? Would you rather they don't have a job at all? This is just to illustrate a point that to limit your buying habits purely by a single factor is ridiculous. I call it un-American!

buying US is always good, but sometimes you have to just buy what suits you best ( budget/performance). Not all of us can afford a 500+$$ board. Heck surf on a piece of plywood if you can have fun doing it. Also you can always buy a used stick

Shred Stixx offers the Hazen and Stieg signature models plus the new skimmer (too small for you) that are shaped here in the USA plus I know that Jerry can have a board shaped to your size, I think through Outlaw.

Everyone of those folks has a board or can make you a board that will fit your size and wake.

Phase 5 just mentioned that they have a 1" thick board that was purported to be good for big guys, but I'm not sure if that's available at retail yet.

good lookin out surfdad,a month ago i walked into Dougs shop and told him thanks for not running us off as a kid when he would catch us watching him thru his exhaust fan.I also told him thanks for being a mentor to all us harbour rats and i would never sell out..At that point he let me in on a lil secret..He ownes Independent,Santacruz skate,Atomic and a few others,all overseas companies!Then he told me its ok as long as you price it accordingly and tell the truth about where it comes from.He finished by saying only begginers buy china stixx,they will learn as they become better surfers

surftech has a lock on all the santacruz guyz..they were the first to go abroad and made it mainstream with the core names involved.

the thing about surftech is they sell their stuff accordingly,retails usually around 350 a stixx er so.you could say they helped make surfing more doable(affordable) for beginners

way more respectable than $550 plus shipping robbery for a china stixx with fins and traction that cost $141us, shipping included!

two wrongs are taking money from a fellow american board builder for greed getting on WW acting like its ok in the name of "i pay my taxes so i can sell you out if i wanna" good job,way to go.good lookin out for the homeboyz

i would never call u unamerican,i know your just looking for a good deal.as time goes on riders will become more educated and the price of these plastic toys will drop by half.it happend in the surf world,its gunna happen in the wakesurf world too.id bet the ranch on it

That is precisely why I do not buy anything produced in China (well, I try not to; i'm sure there are products that have other items inside that are produced there). I never said I did, and I never condoned that. I am not confusing this with "all the worlds drama". My point was that you should purchase based on quality, price, and when possible, from a manufacturer that has decent work conditions.

I am taking care of the homeboyz; by purchasing some items manufactured in the US and when I buy products made oustide of the US, I am supporting the homeboyz that import, transport and sell the products. I take care of them all! It seems that you do not.

I still don't see the 2 wrongs; you just listed 1. Also, how would it be "taking money from a fellow american" by just purchasing a competing product? That would not be "taking away" money at all. It would just not be giving that manufacturer the business. What if I purchased a competing product (not one of YOUR homeboyz) that IS produced in the US? It seems that you would have a problem with that as well.

Purchasing based on price & quality is just fair competition. You seem to not support this. In fact, it seems that you would prefer we don't import ANYTHING that is produced here in the US. Or, at least, that no one purchase it, which would lead to the same thing. That certainly does not lead to fair competition and it would mean the loss of jobs for MANY Americans.

I'm not selling anyone out. In fact, as I mentioned above, I am supporting ALL American businesses, including those that import, transport and sell overseas products.

Again, my point from the beginning was that I really take offense when someone tries to reprimand me for not always choosing a US manufactured good over one produced overseas. I live in Michigan, and I have seen this far too much with the auto industry. You can't even park a foreign vehicle in the lot of one of the US manufacturer's facilities without someone saying something about it or even getting the car vandalized! Curiously, though, you don't get any reaction if you park a Ford in a GM lot! That really makes me laugh. They don't understand that almost all foreign car makers employ about as many Americans as the US car makers!

Anyway, I just wanted to illustrate that buying non-US manufactured products over ones produced in the US is not bad. It is actually better for everyone in the US. Buying only US products is only good for those that manufacture, transport and sell those particular products. A better way is to purchase based on multiple factors (listed before) and not just on where it is produced.